6 months old and waking every 2 hours

jdanczyk

I need help!
My DD turns 6 months old tomorrow, and for the past several weeks, maybe even 2 months, she wakes up, literally, every 2 hours.  I know its just a bad habit - she wakes up just to nurse then falls asleep after a minute or two. (usually).  I know she's not actually hungry just wanting the comfort...
She sleeps in a pack n' play next to my bed, I always grab her right away (sometimes it's so habitual i just do it in my sleep) so my husband can sleep, he gets up at 3:30am every morning for work so I try to let him get as much sleep as possible...
 
I'm tempted to move her into her own room but I personally am going to have a very hard time with that. 
How can I break this habit? 

Bigboobsmcgee

Do just what you said. Move her to her own room. She knows you are right there and she knows that you will grab her when she wakes and just wants to comfort nurse. It will take work and consistency but you can break this habit. BF babies tend to do that comfort nursing so you have to commit to breaking that habit, if you want to.

Slapdashalice

When you say you are grabbing her right away, do you mean when she begins to stir? Babies have 2 hour sleep cycles and they wake or half wake in between them. If you leave them alone then they will usually go back to sleep by themselves. I used to do the same as you and then one day I realized that although she was stirring a lot her eyes were closed. I started leaving her alone for a few minutes just to see and now she sleeps through the night no problem

WillyBean

Same as above. Babies are noisy, noisy sleepers. I sooo wish I had realized that sooner. It might take a few nights but if you let her do her thing she will probably learn sooner than later to soothe herself between sleep cycles. Maybe try a pacifier too?

colleenm18

You just have to be ready to break the habit and be very consistent with her every single time. 

jdanczyk

Thanks,
I started her in her own room 2 nights ago, and am not allowing myself to go in (for feeding) for at least 4 hours after her previous feeding.  So far it's working out.  She wakes up often, a lot of the time falls back asleep within 5 minutes, other times its a full blown tantrum for 30+ minutes.

She has a star projector on the ceiling, her pacifier, her "lovey" i think they are called(?), and i put my laptop in the corner of the room with a youtube video set to 8 hours of lullaby music.

KatWAG

jdanczyk said:

Thanks,
I started her in her own room 2 nights ago, and am not allowing myself to go in (for feeding) for at least 4 hours after her previous feeding.  So far it's working out.  She wakes up often, a lot of the time falls back asleep within 5 minutes, other times its a full blown tantrum for 30+ minutes.

She has a star projector on the ceiling, her pacifier, her "lovey" i think they are called(?), and i put my laptop in the corner of the room with a youtube video set to 8 hours of lullaby music.

Maybe she has too much stimulation to sleep. if my LO had a projector, music and a lovey in bed he would NEVER sleep.

jdanczyk

She has actually been doing great!  First 2 nights were a little rougher but now she's gotten into a good routine.  I only go in 1-2 times during the night, and usually for 5 minutes or less.  

lilly&rose

Look at those supercute bows. Lovely she is.
Yeah, this is the right time to break that habit. It may cost you a few sleepless nights or may be a few weeks but stick to what you plan. Do you follow a routine? We follow a short bt and she crib transition was smooth. She fussed 3/4 night and doing better after that. We also use a sleep sack which helps LO identify her bedtime. I feel it helped her feel comfortable and secure while sleeping on her own. Such a simple and cozy product for baby, so much comfier than a blanket. We love to share it, here is online link www.babydeedee.com or your may easily find dem on amazon. 

SharmenLisa

Babies sleep through when they sleep through. It's okay that your 6 month old is waking up every 2 hours. Solids may help, but do not think they are a cure all to get your child to sleep through the night. This is a milestone that they accomplish in THEIR own time, not ours. A couple of things to watch out for will be teeth or illness, both rock the boat terribly.